New Zealand DM class electric multiple unit

New Zealand DM/D class

D2778 awaiting departure from Johnsonville, the terminus of the Johnsonville Line, 17 December 2007.
In service 2 July 1938 – 25 June 2012
Manufacturer English Electric
Built at Preston Works, United Kingdom
Replaced Replaced by Matangi class units 2011-2012
Constructed 1938-1954
Entered service July 1938 (36 stock)
December 1946 (42 stock)
August 1949-March 1954 (46 stock)
Refurbishment 2005-2007 (Tranz Metro)
Scrapped 1978-1980s (36/42 stock)
2011-2012 (46 stock)
Number built 49
Number scrapped 41
Formation DM-D (Johnsonville Line and Melling Line)
D-DM-D (Hutt Valley Line)
Fleet numbers D2130-2869
DM147-562
Capacity 132 (two-car units)
204 (three-car units)
Operator Tranz Metro
Line(s) served Johnsonville Line, Melling Line (two-car and three-car units)
Hutt Valley Line,(three-car units and occasionally and after displaced from Johnsonville line three two-car units.
Kapiti Line, three-car units and two-car units very occasionally after the 1980's
Specifications
Car length 19.2 metres (63 ft 0 in)
Width 2.61 metres (8 ft 7 in)
Doors 4
Maximum speed 97 km/h (60 mph)
Weight 43.5 t (42.8 long tons; 48.0 short tons)
Power output 447 kW (599 hp)
Electric system(s) 1500 V DC overhead
Braking system(s) Air, handbrakes
Track gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

The New Zealand DM/D class (also known as English Electrics) were a class of electric multiple units used on the Metlink suburban rail network of Wellington, New Zealand. Formed of DM power cars and D trailer cars, the first units were ordered from English Electric in 1936 and introduced on 2 July 1938 operating the electrified Johnsonville Line service. Additional units were ordered in 1942 and 1946 as other Wellington suburban lines were electrified.

The units were relegated to peak services and the Johnsonville Line after the arrival of the "Ganz Mavag" EM/ET units in 1982-83, before finally being replaced by the "Matangi" FP/FT units in 2011-12. The units operated their last revenue service on 25 June 2012, from Wellington to Melling and return. Five complete units (four two-car and one three-car) and six trailer cars have been preserved.

Introduction

Following its decision to build the Tawa Flat deviation to replace the original ex-Wellington & Manawatu Railway North Island Main Trunk alignment out of Wellington, the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) decided to convert the remaining 10.49km of track between Wellington and Johnsonville into an electrified suburban branch line. Six two-car trains comprising one driving motor car and one driving trailer were ordered from English Electric in 1936 to work the future Johnsonville Line, which formally 'opened' as a branch line on 2 July 1938 with the new electric trains inaugurating the service. The new trains were allocated as the DM class (driving motor cars) and the D class (non-motored driving trailer).

Due to traffic growth both on the Johnsonville Branch and with further electrification in the Wellington suburban area, two further orders were placed with English Electric for further trains of this type; three motor cars and two trailers were ordered in 1942 and delivered in 1946 following the end of the Second World War, while forty motor cars and seventy-one trailers were ordered in 1946 and delivered from 1949 onwards to work the Paekakariki and later Upper Hutt services. Due to the limited number of these trains, NZR were required to run additional locomotive-hauled carriage trains until the arrival of the first Ganz Mavag EM/ET units in 1982.[1]

Operation

The class operated in two configurations:

At the time of their withdrawal, the D/DM sets were among the oldest rolling stock operated by KiwiRail. By this time all trains were composed of 1946 stock, the '36 and '42 stock having been eliminated from service in the early 1980s.

Technical details

As originally built, the DM class motor cars seated 56 passengers and D class trailer cars seated 72. However, during renovation of these trains in the late 1970s-early 1980s, two seats located next to the driver's cabs in each car were removed and a barrier was installed level with the cab, reducing the seating in each car to 54 passengers per DM car and 70 passengers per D car. Some DM cars had the double seats in the rear section in front of the luggage compartment removed and the seats parallel with the sides extended to provide space for prams.[2]

As originally built, the DM class motor cars had a driver's cab at each end with a luggage compartment at one end next to the second cab. Following a need for increased luggage space and the marshalling of motor cars in three-car sets, the second cabs were removed to allow an enlarged luggage space and inter-carriage gangway connection to be installed. Prior to this, the all-night service on the Johnsonville Branch was operated by one of the 1942 stock DM cars, an arrangement which was considered for use on a similar service on the Melling Branch.[2]

Each car had ten 150 V electric heaters in series run off the 1500 V supply, so a 1500 V connection was required between motor cars and trailers.[2] 46 stock differed from 36/42 stock in some respects:

Because of their shorter wheelbase and the smaller motor-generator set designed for one trailer only, 36/42 stock units were kept for the Johnsonville line as much as possible.[2] Similarly, the three-car sets of 1946 stock were kept for use on the Paekakariki, Melling and Upper Hutt services due to their greater passenger-carrying capacity and reduced brake capacity on steep lines.

Refurbishment

The introduction of the EM/ET class units from 1982 onwards saw a large number of the class become redundant, namely all of the '36 and '42 stock. Ten two-car units of '46 stock were refurbished at the now closed East Town Railway Workshops in Wanganui between 1984 and 1986 for continued operation on the Johnsonville Branch where EMs did not have running rights due to their being over-gauge and having insufficient braking capacity, and for peak-hour running on the Hutt Valley and Melling lines.

In the early 2000s, the remaining members of the class underwent a moderate refurbishment to extend their operational lives to 2012. The refurbishment largely involved a cosmetic upgrade of the exterior and interior of the cars, with new seating and a major mechanical overhaul. As part of this the cars received the new two-tone Tranz Metro blue livery with the exception of DM 556 and its trailer cars D 2130 and D 2411 which were repainted into the old Midland Red livery with silver roof and black running gear in 2006. Trailer unit D 2660 was sent to Hillside Workshops for an overhaul in 2002.

In February 2007, overcrowding on Wellington trains resulted in the recommendation by the Greater Wellington Regional Council to re-introduce two DM/D units, one former Tranz Metro unit stored at Hutt Workshops as a source of spare parts and another from the Ferrymead Railway. These units entered service from October 2008.[4] With no further DM/D sets available, the two overhauled sets were joined as a short-term measure by six ex-British Rail carriages rebuilt at Hillside Workshops as the SE class and worked in push-pull service by two Toshiba EO class locomotives.[5]

Withdrawal

Due to the arrival of the 44 EM/ET sets, withdrawals of the D/DM class units began in November 1981 with the scrapping of pioneering set DM 55 and trailer D 2007 (DM 1 and D 101). Further scrappings until July 1983 when the last two sets of 1942 stock were withdrawn for scrapping, while the 1936 stock had all been withdrawn and scrapped by April of that year. Only one of the 1946 sets had been withdrawn - motor coach DM 13 had been withdrawn and scrapped in April 1978 after being involved in an accident.

Final withdrawal

Following the arrival of the new FP/FT Matangi units into service from January 2011 onwards, Metlink began to progressively withdraw the DM/D sets from regular service, starting with the Hutt Valley services. All but three of the three-car D/DM/D sets were withdrawn with the exceptions of DM 251, DM 504, and DM 556 "Cyclops". These sets continued in regular service until DM 556 was reduced to a two-car set for Johnsonville Branch use in December 2011; both DM 251 and DM 504 continued relatively trouble free in service until 27 March 2012, when both were withdrawn from service after the evening peak services that day.

Due to the nature of operations on the Johnsonville Branch and the need to increase the nominal catenary voltage for full Matangi operation, operation of the Johnsonville Branch needed to be cut over immediately rather than phased in as elsewhere on the network. This caused issues due to delays in the introduction of further Matangi units and the voltage increase which led to a number of electrical failures on the older DM/D sets. As sets deteriorated in condition they were withdrawn from service, allowing cars with little or no problems to be combined in place of failed cars in order to maintain service.

By October 2011, former Hutt Valley sets DM 27 "Robin", DM 216 "Phoenix" and the now shortened DM 556 were pressed into service due to a lack of available Johnsonville DM/D sets. Following the failure of DM 216 in December, DM 556 was pressed into service with one trailer removed and coupled to the uphill end of DM 27 due to the loss of the second driving cab in DM 556. Three further sets comprising DM 182, DM 441 and DM 510 were later repaired to maintain service with buses supplementing trains at peak times.[6]

The final Johnsonville Branch services to be operated by the DM/D class ran on 19 March 2012.[7] The train, consisting of DM 27 and DM 556 and driven by Phil Gibbs, crossed FP/FT 4155 and another Matangi set at Ngaio where impromptu speeches were held to farewell the trains, which subsequently arrived back at Wellington late. This also happened to be the last time both DM 27 and DM 556 "Phoenix" ran in service, both being withdrawn following the final run. Due to issues surrounding noise using Matangi units on the Johnsonville line, three test trains were run with two two-car DM/D sets; the last of these being run on 15 June 2012[8] using sets DM 441 and DM 510.

The final English Electric revenue service was the 14:39 Melling to Wellington service on 25 June 2012.[9] Departing Wellington Station's Platform 9 at 14:17, DM's 182, 441 and 510 ran as train 5648 to Melling before returning to Wellington as train 5649, where they were retired from service, ending 74 years of English Electric service in Wellington.

Later on 25 June, an English Electric unit was listed on TradeMe, with a start price of $29,990.[10] Initially thought to be a hoax, the train was 'bought' by a four-year-old who clicked on the 'Buy Now' for the train. The train was later sold for $30,000 on 2 July 2012 at 1:42pm when the auction closed. At the time no numbers had been given for the train sold as GWRC had nine two-car sets awaiting sale or scrap. The set purchased was eventually revealed as motor car DM 562 and trailer D 2149, which arrived in Nelson on 21 August 2012, after being transported by road from the Wellington railway yards onto the Interislander ferry the following day.

Final scrapping of the 12 remaining units (14 D and 11 DM cars) began at Hutt Workshops just after 18 December 2012, starting with a mix of DM and D cars, before in January concentrating on the D class trailers and followed by the DM power cars. It was announced on 23 January that the three-car DM 556 "Cyclops" set was put aside for the Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust, while the two-car DM 216 "Phoenix" set was put aside for preservation by the National Railway Museum of New Zealand. Trailer D 2826 was also put aside to be moved to Belgrove to join DM 562 and D 2419, converting it to an impromptu three-car set in the same way as the original three-car D/DM/D sets.

Scrapping of the D and DM cars at Hutt was completed on 31 January 2013, with motor car DM 297 being the last to be scrapped.[11]

Liveries

The DM class has worn five distinctive liveries during their working lives:

Royal Blue

The original livery of the DM and D class cars, introduced in 1938. This livery was replaced with standard "Midland Red" by 1949. The car body was painted in Royal Blue with a white band along the side below the windows and grey roof. The traction equipment and running gear were painted black, but were concealed under skirting until the war years when maintenance staff had them removed for ease of access. The car numbers were painted in gold on a black background, while on the side they were painted inside a red oval, similar to the cab-side numberplates on NZR locomotives.

The Royal Blue colour has been noted for its similarities to the MAXX Blue used in Auckland.

Midland Red

The best-known livery, all cars of the DM and D classes wore the "Midland Red" livery at one time during their working lives. When the EM/ET class was introduced in the early 1980s in an olive paint scheme, the red of the DM/D class became a distinguishing feature and they came to be nicknamed "old reds" and "red sets" in New Zealand railfan jargon.

The car body and skirting over the traction equipment was painted in "Midland Red" with the roof in grey and separated from the red body by a black strip and black underfloor equipment and running gear. In 2008 KiwiRail required the car fronts to be repainted in yellow for better visibility at level crossings. Car numbers were painted in gold on a black background, but were later replaced by solid white numbers during the TMS era. By this time, the livery was confined to three 'heritage' sets only and had been applied to all other cars during their successive repaints into other liveries.

The last set in regular service to retain the "Midland Red" livery was DM556 and trailers D2130 and D2411. When it was refurbished in 2006, it was named "Cyclops" due to its single-lens headlight and repainted externally in the "Midland Red" livery with gold car numbers as per the 1950s. This earned Tranz Metro a "Business in Conservation" award from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Wellington Conservation Board the same year.[12] This livery was applied to DM 27 and D 163 from Ferrymead and DM216 and D2687 in 2008 when they were returned to service.

Olive and Cream

Originally introduced on the EM/ET class sets, several of the DM/D sets refurbished for the Johnsonville Branch were later repainted in this livery during the late 1980s. The car body was repainted in olive green with a grey roof and black underfloor equipment and running gear. A white band surrounded the windows on the sides of the car, ending between the first passenger window and the driver's cab window. The doors and ends were painted yellow with white block numbers and classification letters on the side and black numbers on the '1' and '2' ends of the train. The cab windows and headlight mounting were painted with a black surround.

These sets were branded for New Zealand Rail's suburban operator Cityline, and carried the Cityline branding and logo under the central four windows on the car body side. The NZR logo was painted in front of the car numbers at either end. Following the sale of NZ Rail Ltd to Wisconsin Central and the rebranding of suburban services as Tranz Metro, the NZR logos and Cityline branding were deleted and replaced with the Tranz Metro logo in the place of the former Cityline branding.

Tranz Metro "Cato Blue"

This livery was applied to set DM 147 by Tranz Rail's suburban operator Tranz Metro during the late 1990s, and was the only unit to wear this livery. The car body was painted in the standard Tranz Rail "Cato Blue" with a grey roof, yellow ends and headlight mount, and black underfloor equipment and running gear. The doors were unpainted aluminium while there were two black bands on the car body, one at floor level separating the running gear and underfloor equipment from the "Cato Blue" body and the other at roof level separating the grey roof from the blue body.

Standard Tranz Metro logos were applied along the centre of the car sides. The car numbers were painted in black Frutiger script on the ends of the car, underneath the left-hand tail lamp. The end numbers were painted in the same style on the centre of the cab doors.

Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue

Starting in 2005, Tranz Metro (now owned by Toll Rail) undertook a major refurbishment of the DM/D sets. As part of this, DM 297 and D 2778 were painted in a new two-tone livery which would later be used on all sets with the exception of the three 'heritage' units. The car body was "Cato Blue" with a grey roof and headlight mount, yellow cab fronts and black underfloor equipment and running gear. There was a Royal Blue window band along the side of the cars, while a black strip separated the grey roof colour from the car body. The passenger doors were unpainted aluminium, and white overhead hazard stickers were applied to the cab doors. Car numbers were painted on the cab-mounted horn covers in dark blue descending Frutiger script, although some had different sized lettering or a serifed font.

Preserved units

DM216 "Phoenix" stands at Wellington Railway Station on 6 October 2010.

As of 2013, five English Electric sets had been preserved by individuals or railway societies. Two of the sets are fitted with the original single headlights while three are rebuilt sets featuring the later twin-beam headlight units:

Six D class trailer cars have also found alternative use:

Class register

DM Units

Key: In service Out of service Auckland Transport service Preserved Overhaul/Repair Scrapped
TMS No. Original No. Introduced Withdrawn Current status Current livery Notes
55 1 4 July 1938 November 1981 Scrapped Midland Red
61 2 June 1938 September 1982 Scrapped Midland Red
78 3 June 1938 September 1982 Scrapped Midland Red
84 4 June 1938 April 1983 Scrapped Midland Red
90 5 June 1938 April 1983 Scrapped Midland Red
101 6 June 1938 April 1981 Scrapped Midland Red
118 7 October 1946 July 1983 Scrapped Midland Red
124 8 October 1946 July 1983 Scrapped Midland Red
130 9 December 1946 7 November 1981 Scrapped Midland Red
147 10 August 1949 December 2011 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013.
153 11 September 1949 November 2011 Scrapped Tranz Metro Blue 3-car set. Scrapped in January 2013.
176 12 November 1949 October 1987 Scrapped Midland Red
13 October 1949 April 1978 Scrapped Midland Red
182 14 February 1950 June 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue One of last 3 units in service. Scrapped in January 2013.
199 15 December 1949 May 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
216 16 December 1949 December 2011 Preserved Midland Red Named "Phoenix". Preserved, National Railway Museum of New Zealand.
222 17 December 1949 Scrapped Midland Red Withdrawn after 16 January 1985.
239 18 February 1950 Scrapped Midland Red Withdrawal date unknown
245 19 April 1950 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
251 20 May 1950 March 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 3-car set. Scrapped in December 2012.
268 21 June 1950 Scrapped Midland Red Withdrawal date unknown
274 22 June 1950 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
280 23 October 1950 February 1989 Scrapped Olive and Cream
297 24 September 1950 December 2011 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013. The last unit to be scrapped.
308 25 September 1950 Scrapped Midland Red Withdrawal date unknown
314 26 December 1950 May 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
320 27 20 March 1951 March 2012 Preserved Midland Red Named "Robyn", "Ferrymead" or "Red Robin". Preserved, Canterbury Railway Society.
337 28 June 1951 February 1987 Scrapped Midland Red
343 29 November 1950 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
366 30 August 1951 February 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013.
372 31 September 1951 May 1988 Scrapped Midland Red
389 32 September 1951 March 1992 Scrapped Olive and Cream
395 33 September 1951 1997 Scrapped Olive and Cream Refurbisheat Eastown.
406 34 March 1952 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
412 35 July 1952 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
429 36 July 1952 January 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013.
435 37 October 1952 October 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
441 38 December 1952 June 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue One of the last 3 units in service. Scrapped in January 2013.
458 39 December 1952 May 1988 Scrapped Midland Red
464 40 February 1953 May 1992 Scrapped
470 41 March 1953 May 2011 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013.
487 42 March 1953 Scrapped Midland Red Withdrawal date unknown.
493 43 April 1953 May 1986 Scrapped Midland Red
504 44 July 1953 March 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 3-car set. Scrapped in December 2012.
510 45 February 1954 June 2012 Preserved Royal Blue Preserved privately, used as a cafe in Paraparaumu.
527 46 April 1954 November 2011 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 3-car set. Scrapped in January 2013.
533 47 December 1953 August 1982 Scrapped Midland Red
556 48 March 1954 March 2012 Preserved Midland Red Named "Cyclops". Preserved, Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust.
562 49 March 1954 January 2012 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Preserved privately.

D Units

Key: In service Out of service Auckland Transport service Preserved Overhaul/Repair Scrapped
Original no. TMS no. Introduced Withdrawn Status Livery Notes
2007 101 July 1938 July 1983 Scrapped
2015 102 June 1938 April 1981 Scrapped
2023 103 June 1938 September 1982 Scrapped
2031 104 June 1938 July 1983 Scrapped
2058 105 June 1938 March 1986 Scrapped
2066 106 June 1938 November 1981 Scrapped
2074 107 October 1946 November 1981 Scrapped
2082 108 October 1981 September 1982 Scrapped
2090 109 Scrapped
2106 110 Scrapped
2114 111 Scrapped
2122 112 Scrapped
2130 113 November 1949 March 2012 Preserved Midland Red DM 556's north trailer car. Preserved, Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust.
2149 114 June 1950 January 2012 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 562's trailer car. Sold on TradeMe to a private individual at Belgrove near Nelson in July 2012.
2157 115 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue Scrapped in January 2013. 153's trailer car, part of a three-car set.
2165 116 Scrapped
2173 117 Scrapped
2181 118 Scrapped
2205 119 Scrapped
2213 120 Scrapped
2221 121 Scrapped
2248 122 Scrapped
2256 123 Scrapped
2264 124 Scrapped
2272 125 Scrapped
2280 126 Scrapped
2299 127 Scrapped
2304 128 March 1950 July 2001 Scrapped Midland Red Scrapped after February 2010.
2312 129 Scrapped
2320 130 Scrapped
2339 131 Scrapped
2347 132 Scrapped
2355 133 Scrapped
2363 134 Scrapped
2371 135 Scrapped
2398 136 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 251's trailer car. Scrapped in January 2013. Part of a three-car set.
2403 137 Scrapped
2411 138 December 1950 March 2012 Preserved Midland Red DM 556's south trailer car. Preserved, Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust.
2438 139 March 1951 January 1994 Preserved Midland Red Private residence, Hibiscus Coast
2446 140 Scrapped
2454 141 Scrapped
2462 142 July 1950 November 2011 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue One of 3-car set 527's trailer cars, sold to NZ Fire Service and based at their Rotorua training centre.
2470 143 Scrapped
2489 144 June 1951 June 2012 Preserved Royal Blue DM 510s trailer car. Preserved privately, used as a cafe in Paraparaumu.
2497 145 October 1951 November 2011 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 153's trailer car, now at SAS Training Centre, Papakura
2502 146 Scrapped
2510 147 Scrapped
2529 148 Scrapped
2537 149 Scrapped
2545 150 Jan/Feb 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 366's trailer car
2553 151 Jan/Feb 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 527's trailer car. Part of a three-car set. Later ran with 251. Scrapped January 2013
2561 152 Scrapped
2588 153 Scrapped
2596 154 Scrapped
2601 155 Scrapped
2628 156 Scrapped
2636 157 Scrapped
2644 158 Scrapped
2652 159 Scrapped
2660 160 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 470's trailer car
2679 161 Scrapped
2687 162 July 1953 December 2011 Preserved Midland Red 216 "Phoenix" trailer car. Preserved, National Railway Museum of New Zealand.
2695 163 July 1953 March 2012 Preserved Midland Red 27's trailer car. Preserved, Canterbury Railway Society.
2700 164 Scrapped
2719 165 Scrapped
2727 166 Scrapped
2735 167 Jan/Feb 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 147's trailer car
2743 168 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 504's trailer car. Part of a three-car set. Scrapped January 2013
2751 169 August 1953 January 1994 Preserved Midland Red Private residence, Hibiscus Coast.
2778 170 Jan/Feb 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 297's trailer car. Last trailer car to be refurbished at East Town Workshops, only received a partial overhaul. Scrapped January 2013
2786 171 July 1952 March 2012 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 251's trailer car. Now at SAS Training Centre, Papakura
2794 172 Scrapped
2818 173 June 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue 441's trailer car. Scrapped January 2013
2826 174 August 1953 25 June 2012 Preserved Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue DM 182's trailer car, part of last 3 sets in service. Now at Belgrove, Nelson with DM 562's set.
2834 175 Scrapped
2842 176 July 1953 January 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue DM 429's trailer car.
2850 177 Scrapped
2869 178 July 1953 March 2012 Scrapped Tranz Metro Two-tone Blue DM 504's trailer car.
2877 179 Scrapped

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Gregor 1981, p. 33–45.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Hoy 1970, p. 66–69.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Churchman 1988.
  4. ↑ WILLIAMSON, KERRY (2008-09-06). "Museum-piece all ready to roll". The Dominion Post (Wellington: Fairfax New Zealand). Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  5. ↑ "Metlink News". Issue 2. Metlink. May 2007.
  6. ↑ "Changes to Johnsonville train services". Greater Wellington Regional Council. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "New hope arrives on the Johnsonville line". The Dominion Post. 19 March 2012.
  8. ↑ "The Last English Electric Unit Services" (PDF). D.J. Castle. June 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Wellington: English Electrics’ last ride". Greater Wellington Regional Council (via Scoop.co.nz). 22 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "After 74 years, English Electric trains retire". The Dominion Post. 25 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "One Last Evening for DM297". Daniel R Garland. 30 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Awards honour efforts to protect our heritage: Media release

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NZR DM class.